I wonder why churchs have statues in them, when the Bible says make unto yourself no graven images?

Question

This brings curses on a church, even if they are statues of angels etc.

Answer 1

Gave people something to focus on during church.
It was the first media.
And No, statues do not bring curses to a church; people do..

Answer 2

The idea behind a graven image is the same as a totem or an idol. It is a physical representation of a deity created with the intend of being worshiped as that deity. There's nothing wrong with statues or pictures as long as those statues and pictures are not being worshiped.

In this context, the "graven image" doesn't even have to be a statue or picture, it can be the very building itself. The idea is that nothing of this world should represent God to the point that worshiping God is hindered if that object is not present.

Answer 3

Really! Strange then that the same God Who inspired the writers of the Bible, and Who inspired the Catholic Church to define the Canon of Scripture and to compile the Bible, also commanded that two graven images of angels be placed on the Arc of the Covenant, where He Himself would reside! The Bible doesn't forbid the making of statues or the proper use of them. It forbids making and WORSHIPPING them, as does the Catholic Church.

The Bible does however clearly state the will of God that all the followers of Jesus Christ be members of the one Church He founded. So why are you involved in manmade denominational churches??
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Answer 4

Statues don't necessarily bring curses to churches. The bible says not to worship graven images. This would include statues, paintings and anything that depicts anyone. It doesn't say that we can't create them or use them. It only says that we can't worship them. Good Luck!

Answer 5

God likes graven images. He commanded many of them to be made for his Ark, Tabernacle, and Temple.

God even made his only begotten son a flesh image of himself ... and that changed everything, for all time.

There's NO prohibition against graven images in the new covenant.

We now know exactly what God looks like ... Jesus Christ ... so there's absolutely no danger of worshipping a false idol-god.

Only attempting to keep the old law brings curses.

We Christians are saved by the grace of Christ ... not by old, expired laws that never had the power to save, anyway.

Answer 6

Curses? I don't think so!

In Ex. 20: 4-5, God prohibits the making of images for the purpose of worshipping them. God does not prohibit image-making altogether. In Ex. 25:18-19, God commands Moses to make statues of angels (cherubim). In Num 21: 8, God tell Moses to make a bronze serpent (seraph), which the Israelites had to look upon in order to be healed.

Catholics use statues and other images to call to mind the holy people they represent: Jesus, the angels, and the saints.

God bless,
Stanbo

Answer 7

I've been to many churches, and I have never seen a statue in any of them. Ofcourse, it could be that's because I go to Baptist church. However, I don't think it's wrong for them to have statues because they don't worship the statues, they are just there for decoration. When it says that in the Bible, it is refering to when people used to make things and worship them as if they were a god.

Answer 8

The instruction to make no graven images is actually a commandment given only to a certain group of people in a particular place at a defined time. (Israel in the wilderness)
In the new testament it declares that this set of laws is void because Christ Jesus fulfilled it. This does not explain the reason that some churches decide to incorporate statues into the decor of their meeting places, but it does justify its practice.
-Anton

Answer 9

to start with, there is no person "terrific" thank you to type the ten Commandments because of the fact the unique texts have no verse or financial ruin markings. The Catholic Church provides its participants credit for understanding that making and *worshiping* a picture is idolatry -- no longer the mere introduction of a picture. Making or having a statue of Mary or the saints does not violate the commandment because of the fact as you properly observed, we don't worship the two the image or the guy it represents. the photographs remind us that we are surrounded through a cloud of witnesses (all those believers in Heaven) who intercede for us in the time of our earthly pilgrimage. If making a picture grow to be forbidden, then God Himself could be responsible of breaking His very own commandments while He specific the way that the Temple grow to be to be geared up. between different pictures, there have been the Cherubim who lined the Ark, the brazen (bronze) bulls that supported the bronze Sea, the bronze pomegranates that embellished the Temple, etc. the distinction between ornament and idolatry got here approximately while the Israelites began to worship the brazen serpent created through Moses and noted because it Nehustan. The serpent grow to be destroyed because of the fact it had grow to be an idol worshipped in selection to God, so we've a clean representation of the difficulty. as we communicate, we see the comparable element with pictures, artwork, and sculptures of authentic issues and human beings. they could be pictures, even though it incredibly is to be was hoping that they are not worshiped. the line is obviously crossed while some religions make figures of their gods and worship those figures because of the fact the god him or herself. it incredibly is idolatry. in elementary terms making a image of a few thing for the sake of memory or ornament isn't idolatry. in any different case fairly some human beings could be in deep idolatry doodoo for having pictures of their mom of their wallet or that black velvet Elvis portray putting on their front room wall.

Answer 10

Think of statues like icons on a computer. You click on an icon to get access to some network, or application, or program, or whatever. You use the icon to identify files, folders and a list of items you want to use. Think of statues the same way. People (catholics) have been given a bad rap by pope-aphobes who have a hard-wired bigotry against anything Catholic. Catholics and Episcopalians and Presbyterians, not to mention Hindus, Buddhists and other types of religious expression, merely use statues to represent on the visible plane (or visible world of the senses) other supernatural or metaphysical "realities" that are normally not accessible any other way. Why not just accept people for what they are, who they are and what they do without imposing some arbitrary prejudice on their freedom of self-expression? Just because it doesn't fit into your square hole, that's no reason to try to force your own round peg of ignorance on something or someone you know very little about. Personally, I'm an atheist, but that doesn't prevent me from thinking and "defending" the right of self-expression against the bigotry of zealots.

Answer 11

Dude, when the Bible says to not make graven images, it means that you don't create idols and worship them. There's nothing wrong with making a cast of jesus or making a little figurine of mary and putting it on your mantle or making a big 'ol statue of jesus and putting him on top of the church. Just don't bow and tell it what you want for christmas.